Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1887-05-31

expulsion, there rssiili two thousand Sioux
in the British northwest. The Chippeways
claim that they have been driving the Sioux
before them for many generations toward
the south and west; and there is no clear
tradition of any time when the two nations
were at peace. And here / must note one
curious fact Almost every Indian tradition
represents the tribe as coming from the north,
driving other tribes before it; and many of
Che important bands far in the southwest
trace back to a region north of the Saskatch-
avian. The Miamis, who were the aborigi-
mes of Indiana to us, were first found
by the French in northern Iowa and both
history and tradition relate the southwark
migration of the great Shoshonee race. so
those humanitariaus who mourn that 1.-THE
white man took the Indians country from
him. may, find consolation in the fact that
the Indian had Just done the same to his pre-
decessors, and they to theirs, including the
expulsion or determination of a more civilized
race, whom we call the mound builders.
The most northern point at which any OF
my informants have seen their work is near
Oxford House, on Boat river, in latitude
| about SIS degs. and about 600 miles northeast
| of this city. Thence southwark only coca
| sional signs of them are found till we reach
| Rainy river, which must have long continued
| one of their defensive lines, fer IN it are
| twenty-five high conical mounds, evidently
built to protect the passage, as they are all
located at rapids and other defensible points.
The largest is at the junction of American
and Rainy rivers, SO located as to connect
both streams. That is now our boundary
from Lake of the Woods to Superior. The
antiquarians of Canada agree that these
mounds are only burial places by accident,
and that only the bones were laid III them
after the corpse had remained long on a
raised platform, according to the present
custom of the Indians; and this theory is
strengthened by the fact that abundant evil
dences of cooking and permanent camp life
are found in the same mound with human
bones.
The family and tribal relationships of the
Canada Indians are even more complicated
than Of those in cur territory, especially as
concerns the totem; for no matter how re-
mote the kindred tribe may be, those of the
Same totem in both tribes are considered as
! owe family. Thus q Cree man whose totem is
the bear may not marry a woman OF TIE
same totem in the most remote and long de-
parted band. Sbeis his sister. They some
times do marry, but it is considered incest.
XIV u oNeItSls ItSGSSdiS W uuI lUiU DDlu
the Hudson Bay company and the govern
ment sternly forbid the introduction
of whisky, and that the usual
number of daring dealers retail
"on the sly'' the vilest fire water that ever
carried hell down the savage throat and I'M
planted the spirit of murder in his heart.
And ii is one of the most curious things in
nature that the French half breeds, or Metis,
who readily take on a French polish and are
the most gentlemanly Of frontiersmen, when
sober, straightway turn to wild Indians when
drunk. Ten ounces of whisky will drown the
F%renchninn in a Nett and turn loose the wild
0jihbeway who has been all these years lying
concealed in his system. | would not venture
to say that the same amount of the same kind
of whisky would resuI1ect the Anglo Saxon
pirate in q NewiYo DIRK tbruiser, !" for the inter
val of time has probably beea too long; but
it is curious that as simple a fluid as whisky
should produce such a sreversion'' up here,
isn't its
The best result of the British conquest OF
Canada was that it secured a long peace with
the Indians. But the rival Northwest com.
pany grew up and operated from the great
lakes and along our border; SO the employees
OF the two companies fought In the wilderness
and stirred up strife among the Indians. The
hudson Bay company therefore encouraged
Lord Selbirk to found a colony here in 1911
u; but the Northwest %company,s men stirred
up Indians and half breeds against 1t, an6
they captured and murdered Gov. Semplt
and twenty other officials and colonists. Ant
as the latter c%ompany's men were chiefly
French, and the Hudson Bays men English
there are two conflicting accounts of tina
massacre to this day.